The Family
Overview The Family is a group with mysterious purposes. It is unclear whether they are a good or bad cooperation, though most refer to them as a gang and have a negative viewpoint of them. While many know of them, is kept secret how one joins the Family, and to all except those that have been members, or are still, its members, structure, what it's involved in, and basically everything about it is secret. The only time anyone knows what the Family is invovled in is when a member is caught, or when they are told, mostly by a message sent through an as-of-yet unhackable code if sent via scroll, or sent via paper message. Principles Duties The Family is a group that likes to have their hand in just about everything, whether actually backing it up or not. Usually anonymous, they have backed up things ranging from a sale of a certain type of dust, to eradicating the White Fang, to even funding specific assets of military and terrorist segments. The reason why they do these things seems to be a mystery to all those except in the higher echelons of the group. Training It is unclear how members of the Family are trained, though those that have spoken to reporters and police have commented on an exacting regiment where they mold you to the form that they need you to fulfill. It also seems that the Family chooses your role based on your experience in certain fields at the time they choose you to join them, then strengthens those roles. It is assumed that some form of mind control or scare tactics are also instilled into a Member's brain at this point, as it's said that those that threaten the Family's safety by either speaking out or trying to leave the group have going through Training once again as their best punishment. Organization While all the tiers of groups are unknown, a vague understanding of how roles and groups interact with each other is known. Currently, several roles are known to investigators, each with a purpose different from another's. Only a few seem combat oriented, or don't have a specific form of combat they focus on. This is only a few of the groups and is no way a complete list. Workers The basic "group" for the Family, Workers are just that. They are the ones that carry out day-to-day activities, such as washing clothes, cooking, taking care of equipment, washing the quarters, etc. This "group" is considered to be at the lowest 'tier' of power, and while they are treated well, as they keep the day-to-day functions of the Family running, it is no hidden secret that they know the least of how the Family works. Grunts These are the "basic infantry," for the lack of a better term. They are not trained exquisitely in combat, but they are the thugs of the group, initiating 'hits' on defended compounds or being bodyguards when a more specialized bodyguard isn't needed, or as bodyguards for higher tiers that aren't in the upper echelons of the group. They know a little of what's going on, but they don't know much. Collectors This is a relatively small group of individuals, as they are very specialized. They excel in non-lethal takedowns of targets, but their lethality is not to be understated. If their target resists their non-lethal takedowns, they will resort to deadly force. This group is akin to a "special ops" team, often acting alone, however, in missions of locate and retrieval. As their name suggests, they "collect" individuals who have defected, or may become a threat to the Family's security or interests. They know quite a bit of what goes on in the family, often considered in the tier just before the upper echelons of the group, though they may not know all the reasons as to why. Shadows As the name implies, these individuals cover a similar territory as the Collectors. While the Collectors can be lethal, sometimes a target is simply too big for the collectors, or too touchy. The group size is about the same as the Collectors, and they comprise of the members that excel the best in lethal, and silent, takedowns. They can be considered the 'Ninjas' or 'Assassins' of the group, as they excel at getting in, killing their target and any witnesses swiftly and silently, and getting out. Their identities, like the Collectors, are sometimes not even known within the same group, and only the Seraphims and higher know who they truly are. Of course, rumours abound as to who is in each group. Their knowledge of Family affairs is on the same level as the Collectors. Seraphims This group of individuals is slightly bigger than the collectors. These are the heavy hitters of the group, the bodyguards for the Leader, those that take on the most secretive and essential missions for the group, and called upon when all else fails. Considered the strongest fighters of the Family, they are only second to the Leader and his small group of trusted advisers. They know pretty much all that goes on in the Family, and know most of the reasons behind each move they do. They are often considered the lowest in the Upper Echelons of the group. Advisers Not much is known about the Leader's advisers, only that they are hand-picked by the leader himself. Their combat prowess is unknown, nor much of what they do. They are only called 'advisers' as they are assumed to council with him when important decisions are made. What is known is that they are few in number -- less than five -- and have the authority of the leader, their word only being overridden by the Leader himself. Leader An individual only known as "A," or "Alpha," or "The Father." Because of the last statement, it is assumed that the leader is a male, but little to nothing is known of the individual, including their gender. All is known about them is that they are the leader of the foundation, and their supposed founder. There are many rumours about him, including that he is immortal, but the most likley one is that he is unmatched in combat prowess. Some from within the family have tried to stand up to him, and even gone through his Seraphims and Advisers, only to be struck down within seconds by the Leader. While still believed to mere rumour, as the saying goes -- there is some foundation of truth to any rumour. Equipment Not much is known about the group-wide equipment, as much seems to be left up to the individual on what to use. Their heavy firepower is also relatively unknown as well, as only a few raids have ever been openly done by the Family. Weapons While weapons, like all equipment, is generally left up to the user, it seems that many known Family members carry a pistol of some sort. While tailoured to the specific person so as to be best used by them for the best efficiency, they almost always have an insignia of some sort on the pistol. This seems to vary depending on the group that the person is attached to, as well as the tier, making for many unique insignias. Vehicles While much is unknown about the vehicles that are deployed, it is known that they have a heavy transport that can carry upwards of fifty men in the back, as they have used the trucks several times during raids. However, the issue of truck is not known, as it doesn't seem to match up to any known truck types, and has been dubbed the "Barracuda." They have been shown with a light tank once. A speedy tank that is more suited for ramming obstacles than direct combat with other tanks. There has only been one ever seen, and it ran at the sight of another tank as well as RPG-like ballistics heading its way. While deadly, their shells seem to have half the impact of a normal tank's, but they also seem to be able to move quite quickly and turn that power into a ramming force, knocking over barricades and structures in seconds without slowing down. Dubbed "The Piranha." Members Natsuki Wataru -- Collector (Currently Unknown Member) Former Members Akatsuki Shizuri -- Shadow (Alive, involvement known only to Ozpin and Goodwitch and Family Members hunting her)